SEO for SMBs: Strategies to Boost Your Rankings

Why SMBs Aren’t Getting SEO Rankings

You read every SEO guide, produce content regularly, and have a user-friendly website. Yet, you’re experiencing less organic traffic. What gives? Well, there isn’t an easy answer. For some businesses, it may boil down to negative brand reputation (such as poor reviews) or neglecting to take opportunities (such as how only 49% of small businesses invest in an SEO strategy).

Even with an effective strategy, SMBs can still face low SEO rankings. For many brands, revenue is the biggest culprit. The average small business struggles to make ends meet; therefore, they don’t have the capital to invest in essential SEO tools and software that offer a clear snapshot of their campaign performance and rankings (though we will recommend free and affordable tools in this piece).

There are still some common mistakes that SMBs make when ranking on Google, and here are the common culprits we commonly see.

Publishing Too Much Vague Content

What do you think of when “low-quality content” comes to mind? An uncoherent blog stuffed to the brim with keywords and sketchy backlinks? While that’s one example, there are other forms of low-quality content…and you may not see them as “bad” or “poor.”

Have you ever asked a writer to create a blog post about one topic, offering a competitor page as an example, and the article they submit offers the same information? While this may not seem bad at first, Google won’t rank your content if it’s similar to other posts already out there.

Google wants more than just keyword-optimized and relevant content. It wants content that goes in-depth into a topic. If your content is vague, lacks detail, or is too similar to a competitor, you have a problem.

No Personalization Strategy

Source: Forrester

There’s a reason why 89% of marketing decision-makers say personalization will be essential to business success over the next three years. Your content is what likely draws leads to your sales funnel. To keep these leads on your page, your content must be personalized to their needs.

SEO Strategies for Recovering Rankings

If you’ve noticed a decline in your rankings, there are still ways to reach the top of Google searches. Here’s how to regain your SEO performance to increase traffic and visibility.

Understanding Content Volume and Quality

While marketers have always been told that content is king, there’s no standard on how much content to post.

A common misconception is that publishing a large content volume will automatically improve search engine results. However, search engines prioritize quality over quantity. If an agency or business produces a high content volume without differentiation, Google may categorize it as redundant or low-value.

Instead, focus on creating content that your customers want to read. While optimizing content for search engines is always essential, Google will identify signals, such as click-through rates, and use that data to rank websites. The best way to make content that engages users is by using personalization, which brings us to our next point.

Personalize Content (For Free or Cheap)

Source: TechTarget

How can SMBs personalize content while making their ROI? The answer is simple: know your audience. Start by analyzing these three data types:

• Contextual data
• Demographics
• Bevahiors and preferences

Let’s start with contextual data. Contextual data covers anything about your website and social media, as well as how your leads find your brand. Let’s use keywords as an example. Keywords are still integral to your content strategy but focus more on what your audience is searching for and how they’re searching for it.

For example, if you notice that you’re ranking for conversational and long-form keywords, there’s a chance your website users are finding your company via voice search queries.

Demographics are also key, with local search still being a significant success factor for SMBs. Therefore, the type of content you publish should specifically target the consumers in your area. Keep content relevant to your local region. For example, if you own a plumbing company, you won’t write a blog about freezing pipes if you’re based in South Florida.

Finally, behavioral data, such as preferences, needs, and pain points, will dictate the topics you publish and the expertise you’ll provide. While software like CRMs can help, many SMBs on a budget can do this research DIY.

Use a free website traffic tool to see which pages and blogs get the most traffic. Read customer reviews and mine data from past customer support interactions. Highlight which aspects of your company customers valued most and any common frustrations you notice.

Updating or Deleting Content That Doesn’t Rank

If you notice older blog posts aren’t ranking well, you’re probably wondering what to do with them. One of the most important pieces of advice is to update them.

However, there’s a specific strategy to follow when updating content. Focus on removing outdated information, checking internal and external links, inserting new visuals, and adjusting any dates mentioned. Adding a table of contents and FAQ section is also a good idea.

When should you delete old pages? If your old content is confusing or misleading readers, and there’s no way to refresh that information, you’re better off removing the posts and starting your campaign from scratch.

Stay Updated on Algorithm Changes

The secret to achieving top rankings is staying on top of Google’s algorithm changes. Google refreshes its algorithm several times yearly to ensure users are satisfied and can access the highest quality results. The good news is Google posts all these changes on the core updates page.

That said, ditching an existing SEO campaign and starting over isn’t always feasible. Keep essential best practices in mind, such as creating content that aligns with EEAT and strengthening your brand. Be prepared to audit an existing strategy to better satisfy core updates.

The Role of Brand Queries in SEO

Another factor influencing SEO performance is the frequency users search for a brand by name. Branded keywords make up 44% of Google searches. Google places significant weight on brand queries since they show interest from audiences. Branded search terms are also crucial for companies; “purchase-ready” customers are searching for these terms, which are linked to higher conversion rates.

How can you gauge whether or not your brand queries are yielding results? First, track your branded terms in your keyword research tool of choice. Monitor metrics like search volume to see how often users search for them.

It’s also important to understand which pages appear on a branded search. You can do this by going to Google (ideally in Incognito mode) and searching for your brand name.

Look at the top results; oftentimes, it’s either your home, about, or product/service pages. Look at this Single Grain Marketing query. The first organic result is the home page, the about pages, the content marketing service page, and the blog.

From here, put these results in Google Analytics or any web traffic tool you use. Look at metrics like conversion and click-through rates to see how much revenue these branded terms generate.

How to Increase Brand Queries

If your branded queries aren’t generating interest, this can mean there’s an overall issue with your brand awareness. There are still ways to heighten your brand and engage your audience.

• Run paid ad campaigns: Use platforms like Meta and Google to increase brand exposure with advertising.
• Leverage retargeting: Serve ads to previous site visitors to reinforce brand recognition.
• Implement multi-touch marketing: Ensure potential customers encounter the brand across multiple channels at least seven times (the Rule of Seven) to increase the likelihood of engagement.

Building strong brand signals can improve SEO rankings across all search terms, even those unrelated to the brand.

Optimizing LinkedIn for Lead Generation

More than 35 million small businesses use LinkedIn to promote their organizations. That’s why LinkedIn often complements an SEO strategy.

Startups and small businesses must have a strong LinkedIn presence to improve their lead generation. Here’s how to increase visibility and engagement on LinkedIn:

• Follow influencers and thought leaders in your niche: Industry experts share successful LinkedIn organic growth strategies. Give these influencers a follow and take their advice.
• Engage consistently: Posting high-value content multiple times weekly is key to maintaining visibility.
• Leverage personal brands: Founders and executives should actively post and engage with their network to establish thought leadership.
• Utilize LinkedIn paid ads: Running targeted ad campaigns on LinkedIn can amplify organic reach and drive inbound leads. Tools like Karrot ABM help businesses optimize LinkedIn ads for account-based marketing (ABM), ensuring that ads reach the right decision-makers at the right companies—maximizing ROI and lead quality.

Scaling a Small Agency: Offering Multiple Services Without Overwhelming Clients

What if your small business is a digital marketing agency? You may know all the right tips and tricks, but it may not be enough to gain clients. Maybe you’re juggling multiple campaigns without the expertise to do so, or perhaps you’re overwhelming prospective clients by trying to promote a full-service solution.

A clear sales pitch isn’t always enough. Large agencies can successfully provide a broad range of services, but smaller firms must be more strategic. Here are a few ways to do this.

Have a Focus

To get steady sales as a small agency, having a focus is integral. Most agencies choose one of two types of focuses:

• A specific service
• Niche or industry

If you’re an expert at one strategy, such as SEO, you can start by honing in on that service. But if you have expertise in one field, such as insurance, you can offer a full-service suite to businesses in that industry.

This way, your business is not only more profitable, but you also boost efficiency.

The Land-and-Expand Strategy

The land and expand strategy is when an agency focuses on landing a small deal and nurturing that client to retain them. This strategy has a specific process:

• Start with a core service: Identify the service that will deliver the most immediate impact based on the client’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Demonstrate results: Build trust by showing tangible outcomes within the first few months.
• Expand over time: Once credibility is established, introduce additional services to maximize client growth and retention.

This approach ensures that clients are not overwhelmed by too many offerings at once while still positioning the agency for long-term revenue expansion.

Other Tips to Improve SEO Performance

Source: Equinet Academy

Publishing authoritative and unique content isn’t the only way to regain traction on the SERPs. Here are additional tactics to implement:

• Audit existing content: Use Google Search Console and Analytics to identify underperforming pages and find technical issues, such as indexing issues, that are causing low rankings.
• Merge content: Instead of removing content, you can consolidate two or more related posts, making them more updated and personalized.
• Track user engagement metrics: Track metrics like dwell time and click-through rates to gauge how users respond to your content.

SEO software will maximize your results, but if you spend more than you generate on software, you risk making a poor ROI. Here are some of the best SEO tools that are either free or have affordable plans.

• Google Search Console – A free platform by Google that offers SEO insights, such as search analytics. This is one of the most popular tools for measuring website traffic, keywords, and content performance. Plus, businesses can also submit their sitemap for free.
• Ubersuggest – A keyword research tool offering other services, such as website audits and competitor research. Businesses can search for keywords with a free account, and paid plans start at $29/month.
• Moz – An all-in-one SEO analysis platform that offers everything to improve your research, content marketing, local SEO, and even PR. Many tools, such as the keyword explorer and domain authority checker, are free. Moz Pro starts at $49/month and includes numerous tools to attract leads and increase conversions.
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider – This website audit tool can crawl websites of all sizes. There’s a free plan, and the paid plan costs $259/year.

Are You Still Struggling With SEO for SMBs?

Small businesses share the SERPs with enterprise-level competitors, making it difficult for SMBs to grow organically. But if you’re publishing content and still not getting results, you may think SEO for SMBs isn’t possible.

The reality is that small businesses should focus on producing unique and personalized content, strengthening brand signals, and strategically leveraging LinkedIn. If you own a small agency, don’t overwhelm your clients with numerous services and focus on a land-and-expand strategy.

Reaching the top of SERPs is never an easy feat. You can always seek help from the professionals. Single Grain Marketing works with companies of all sizes and niches and can create a robust SEO campaign to drive user engagement and revenue.

If you’re ready to level up your SEO, Single Grain’s marketing experts can help!👇

Let’s Optimize SEO

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